Out-of-band radio link protocol and network architecture for a wireless network composed of wireless terminals with millimetre wave frequency range radio units

• US 8,630,582 B2
• Filed: 08/17/2010
• Issued: 01/14/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/02/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Nogueira-Nine, Juan
• Primary Examiner(s): AKINYEMI, AJIBOLA A
• Application Number:
  US12/858,056
• Publication Number:
  US 20110053498A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,246 Days
• Field of Search: 455/25
• US Class Current: 455/25
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/1555 Selecting relay station antenna mode, e.g. selecting omnidirectional -, directional beams, selecting polarizations
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/02 Arrangements for optimising operational condition

Abstract

The present invention relates to a wireless transmitter comprising a transmitter radio unit working a wireless transmitter comprising a transmitter radio unit working in the millimeter wave frequency band using a directional antenna and a bidirectional radio unit working in a frequency range different from said transmitter radio unit and using an omnidirectional antenna. The invention further relates to a wireless receiver and a wireless relay.

Claims

1. A wireless transmitter, comprising:

a transmitter radio unit working in the millimeter wave frequency band using a directional antenna;

a bidirectional radio unit working in a frequency range different from said transmitter radio unit and using an omnidirectional antenna;

a radio link control unit (RLC) to control said radio units, wherein the radio link control unit is provided to switch, steer or form an antenna beam of the directional antenna of the transmitter radio unit; and

a sounding channel frame generator for sending channel sounding frames transmission messages via the transmitter radio unit to determine channel conditions of an active antenna beam combination and other possible beam combinations with a wireless receiver or a wireless relay, wherein

the bidirectional radio unit is adapted to receive channel measurement values from the wireless receiver or the wireless relay,

the channel measurement values are values determined based upon the channel sounding frames transmitted via the transmitter radio unit, and

the radio link control unit switches, steers or forms the antenna beam of the directional antenna of the transmitter radio unit based upon the channel measurement values.

2. The wireless transmitter defined in claim 1, wherein the directional antenna provides one or more beams.

3. The wireless transmitter defined in claim 1, further comprising a ranking list database comprising a table containing the channel measurement values of the active antenna beam combination and other possible beam combinations.

4. A wireless receiver, comprising:

a receiver radio unit working in the millimeter wave frequency band using a directional antenna;

a bidirectional radio unit working in a frequency range different from said receiver radio unit and using an omnidirectional antenna;

a radio link control unit (RLC) to control said radio units, wherein the radio link control unit is provided to switch, steer or form an antenna beam of the directional antenna of the receiver radio unit; and

a channel measurement unit for collecting channel measurement values of an active antenna beam combination and other possible beam combinations with a wireless transmitter or a wireless relay,

wherein the bidirectional radio unit is adapted to send the channel measurement values to the wireless transmitter or the wireless relay,

the channel measurement values are values determined based upon channel sounding frames received by the receiver radio unit, and

the radio link control unit switches, steers or forms the antenna beam of the directional antenna of the receiver radio unit based upon the channel measurement values.

5. The wireless receiver defined in claim 4, wherein the directional antenna provides one or more beams.

6. The wireless receiver defined in claim 4, further comprising a ranking list generator adapted to generate and rank the channel measurement values of the active antenna beam combination and other possible beam combinations.

7. A device, comprising:

a receiver radio unit working in the millimeter wave frequency band using a first directional antenna;

a transmitter radio unit working in the millimeter wave frequency band using a second directional antenna different from said first directional antenna;

a bidirectional radio unit working in a frequency range different from said receiver radio unit and said transmitter radio unit and using an omnidirectional antenna; and

a radio link control unit (RLC) to control said radio units, wherein the radio link control unit is provided to switch, steer or form an antenna beam of the directional antenna of the transmitter radio unit or the receiver radio unit based upon channel measurement values received via the bidirectional radio unit, wherein

the device is a single wireless relay device, and

the channel measurement values are values determined based upon channel sounding frames sent via the transmitter radio unit or received by the receiver radio unit.

8. The wireless relay defined in claim 7, wherein each of the directional antennas provides one or more beams.

9. The wireless relay defined in claim 7, whereby the bidirectional radio unit is adapted to forward the channel measurement values from a wireless receiver or another relay to a wireless transmitter or said another relay.

10. The wireless relay defined in claim 9, whereby the receiver radio unit and the transmitter radio unit are adapted to forward the channel sounding frames transmission messages from the wireless transmitter or another relay to the wireless receiver or said another relay.

11. The wireless relay defined in claim 7, further comprising a ranking list generator adapted to generate and rank channel measurement values for at least one of the first directional antenna and the second directional antenna.